白内障是种眼睛晶状体发生混浊的疾病，是首位致盲性眼病，白内障的流行情况各地区有很大的差异，中医又称「青盲」。一般来说，随着年龄的增长，白内障的发病率逐渐提高。

晶状体的混浊位置可以在皮质、核、前囊或者后囊等处。晶状体的混浊不一定影响视力。出现在视轴上的混浊对视力的影响较大，例如后囊下的混浊，由于其处于眼球这个光学系统的节点处，所以即使是较小的混浊也对视力有较大的影响。

典型的白内障的临床表现是渐进性视力下降，由于晶状体的密度变化，还可能伴有近视度数加深，单眼复视（单眼看东西时出现多个物像）等症状。一般不伴有眼红眼痛。目前虽然有许多药物，但尚无药物可以使白内障的进程逆转。所以真正可以使患者视力恢复的治疗仍是手术治疗。

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision. It can affect one or both eyes. Often it develops slowly. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights, and trouble seeing at night. This may result in trouble driving, reading, or recognizing faces. Poor vision may also result in an increased risk of falling and depression. Cataracts are the cause of half of blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide.